Electrical connector

ABSTRACT

An electrical connector has opposing spring-biased arms which are provided with means for making electrical connection with a stripped end of an insulated electrical conductor and means on one of the arms for engaging the insulation of the conductor to retain the end of the conductor in position in the connector. Contact-engaging means is located on the connector for electrical engagement with a complementary contact means.

United States. Patent Inventor Appl. No.

Filed Patented Assignee Priority Raymond Fernex Marignier, France 868,706

Oct. 23, 1969 Nov. 23, 1971 AMP Incorporated Harrisburg, Pa. Oct. 23, 1968 France ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR 4 Claims, 7 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl

Int. Cl

Field of Search 24/129 B, 287/75, 339/260 H0lr 11/22 339/223, 260, 26l 97; 24/1 15 G, 129 B; 287/75, 78

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 842,771 l/l907 Cove 339/260 1,005,323 10/1911 Schade,.lr. 339/260 1,221,713 4/1917 Fahnestock 339/261 1,286,624 12/1918 Henry 339/260 Primary Examiner.loseph H. McGlynn Allomeys-Curtis, Morris and Safford, William J. Keating,

William Hintze, Frederick W. Raring, John R. Hopkins, Adrian .1. La Rue and Jay L. Seitchik ABSTRACT: An electrical connector has opposing springbiased arms which are provided with means for making electrical connection with a stripped end of an insulated electrical conductor and means on one of the arms for engaging the insulation of the conductor to retain the end of the conductor in position in the connector. Contact-engaging means is located on the connector for electrical engagement with a complementary contact means.

PATENTED V 23 L97! 3,622,955

INIVENTOR RAYMOND FERNEX ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR This invention relates to an electrical connector for making a mechanically and electrically secure connection to an electrical wire without the aid of tooling, for example tooling for crimping a portion of the connector about the wire or for soldering the wire to the connector.

According to the invention, an electrical connector for resiliently gripping an electrical wire to make electrically conductive connection between the connector and the wire, comprises a pair of superposed arms connected at one end by a bight of the connector material and each having a wiregripping member, the arms being resiliently urged towards an open position and being relatively movable towards one another from their open position to a closed position in which the wire-gripping members cooperate to grip the wire as a result of the tendency of the arms to assume their open position, the bight having an opening through which the wire can be inserted, in the open position of the arms, for engagement by the wire-gripping members, a projection on one arm, disposed between the wire-gripping members and the bight and extending towards the other arm to urge the wire against the other arm in the closed position of the arms.

It is known to connect electrical conductors to electrical connectors or terminals via soldering or crimping techniques, but this, of course, requires tools and tooling. It is also known to connect electrical conductors to electrical connectors or terminals without the use of tools or tooling, but these connectors or terminals do not provide efiective electrical and mechanical terminations suitable for various and sundry applications.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an electrical connector or terminal that makes an efiective electrical and mechanical termination with an insulated electrical conductor.

Another object is the provision of wire-gripping members provided by opposing spring-biased arms of the connector for electrically connecting with a stripped end of the electrical conductor.

A further object is to provide insulation-gripping means for gripping insulation of the electrical conductor.

An additional object is the provision of an opening in a bight connecting the arms together and through which a stripped end of the conductor is passed.

Other objects and attainments of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings in which there are shown and described illustrative embodiments of the invention; it is to be understood, however, that these embodiments are not intended to be exhaustive nor limiting of the invention but are given for purposes of illustration in order that others skilled in the art may fully understand the invention and the principles thereof and the manner of applying it in practical use so that they may modify it in various forms, each as may be best suited to the conditions of a particular use.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference will now be made by way of example to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. I is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an electrical connector;

FIG. I is a perspective view of the connector when connected to an electrical wire;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an electrical wall plug assembly comprising the connector, which is shown when connected to the wire, and a further and similar connector which is shown schematically;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a detail of the assembly of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on the lines VV of 70 FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a modified form of the connector; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating a further modification of the connector.

Reference will now be made to FIGS. I, 2, 3, and 5. An electrical connector 1, which has been made by stamping and forming a single piece of resilient sheet metal stock and made for example of copper, comprises arms 3 and 5 extending in superposed relationship from a bight 4. The free end of the arm 5 is fomied with a wire-gripping member in the form of a hook 6 which is directed towards the arm 3 and which is formed at its free end with a rolled receptacle 2 for an electrical plug (not shown). Intermediate the receptacle 2 and the bight 4, the arm 3 is formed with wire-gripping members in the form of substantially semicircular straps 7 spaced from one another by a distance 8 slightly exceeding the width 9 of the hook 6 to enable the straps 7 to receive the hook 6 between them. The arm 5 has a bent-out, trapezoidal-shaped strap 11 disposed between the hook 6 and the bight 4 and being directed towards the arm 3. Claws l2 stamped out from the floor of the strap 11 have pointed free ends directed generally towards the receptacle 2 and towards the wire-gripping members.

The bight 4 has an opening 13 through which the end of an insulated wire 14, from the end portion of the electrically conductive core 16 of which the insulation has been removed, can be inserted when the connector is in a relaxed condition (FIG. 1) in which the arms 3 and 5 are maintained in open spacedapart relationship under the action of the resilience of the connector material so that the hook 6 lies above (as seen in FIG. 1) the straps 7. The wire end is inserted through the opening 13 so that the bared portion of the core 16 extends through the straps 7, as best seen in FIG. 5, the insulated portion of the wire end extending between the strap 11 and the arm 3. The arm 5 is then pressed in the direction ofthe arrow 15 in FIG. I to urge the arm 5 towards the arm 3, against the action of the resilience of the connector material, to bring the arms to a closed position in which the hook 6 engages beneath the portion of the core 16 which extends between the straps 7 (FIGS. 2,3 and 5) and the strap 11 urges the insulated portion of the wire 14 against the arm 3, the claws l2 biting into the insulation. Since the arms 3 and 5 are urged by virtue of the resilience of the connector material towards the open position of FIG. 1, the core 16 is gripped between the hook 6 and straps 7, when the pressure applied to the arm 5 has been released, so that there is effective electrical connection between the connector I and the core 16. Since the claws l2- bite into the insulation to act as barbs and since the insulated portion of the end of the wire 14 is gripped between the strap 11 and the arm 3, the wire 14 is restrained from withdrawalthrough the opening 13 even if the wire is pulled in the direction indicated by the arrow 17 in FIG. 2.

The wall socket assembly will now be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. An insulating support 19 (best seen in FIG. 4) comprises a flat plate 18 having plug access holes 20 and holes 21 for receiving screws for securing the plate I8 to a wall 23 (FIG. 3). A partition 22 extends at right angles from the lower (as seen in FIG. 4) face of the plate 18 and between the holes 20. As shown in FIG. 3, the plate 18 is secured to one face of a wall 23, with the partition 22 extending through a hole in the wall 23. Two connectors I (one of which is shown schematically) are positioned on the support 19 with their receptacles 2 in register with the holes 20 in the plate 18. The receptacles 2 may be secured in the holes 20 or I the connectors may be secured to the partition 22, or both.

Reference will now be made to FIGS. 6 and 7, in which the same reference numerals indicate the same parts as in FIGS. I

to 5. As shown in FIG. 6, the receptacle 2 may be replaced by a plug member 25. As shown in FIG. 7, the bight 4 may be provided with a stamped reinforcing rib 26, on either side of the v opening 13 and extending peripherally of the bight 4.

It will be apparent that the connector I could be used for I connection to a wholly uninsulated wire.

In any event, the wire core should be sufiiciently stiff to withstand the tendency of the arms 3 and 5 to move resiliently apart without bending to any substantial extent. Where the wire core 16 is multistranded, it may be necessary to tin the strands or at least to twist the strands tightly together.

An advantage of the connector described above, is that it enables a wire to be securely connected to a plug or a socket member without the aid of crimping or soldering tooling. Although a knife or wire stripping tool may be used to remove the insulation from the end of the core 16, the insulation, if not molded to the wire, could simply be pushed back from the end of the core 16.

It will, therefore, be appreciated that the aforementioned and other desirable objects have been achieved; however, it should be emphasized that the particular embodiments of the invention, which are shown and described herein, are intended as merely illustrative and not as restrictive of the invention.

The invention is claimed in accordance with the following:

1. An electrical connector for resiliently gripping an electrical wire to make electrically conductive connection between the connector and the wire, the connector comprising a pair of superposed arms, a bight of the connector material connecting said anns together at one end, a first wire-gripping means provided on one of the arms and a second wire-gripping means formed as a latch means provided on the other of the arms, the arms being resiliently urged towards an open position and being relatively movable towards one another from their open position to a closed position in which the latch means resiliently engages the wire in snap-fit and in which the latch means cooperates with the first wire-gripping means to grip the wire as a result of the tendency of the arms to assume their open position, the bight having an opening through which the wire can be inserted in the open position of the arms, the latch means and the first wire-gripping means being generally aligned with the opening in the closed position of the arms, for engagement with the wire received in the opening and a projection on one of said arms which is disposed between the wire-gripping means and the bight and extending towards the other of said arms to urge the wire against the other arm in the closed position of the arms.

2. A connector according to claim I, in which the projection has claw means extending in the general direction of the wire-gripping means for biting into insulation on the wire in the closed position of the arms.

3. A connector according to claim 1, in which the projec' tion is fonned by a generally trapezoidal-shaped strap stamped out from one of the arms.

4. A connector according to claim 1, in which said latch means comprises a wire-engaging hook, and wherein said first wire-gripping means comprises a pair of straps each defining a wire-receiving aperture, the wire-receiving apertures being in axial alignment with one another and with the opening in the bight, each strap of said pair of straps being spaced from one another longitudinally of the other arm for receiving the wireengaging hook between them. 

1. An electrical connector for resiliently gripping an electrical wire to make electrically conductive connection between the connector and the wire, the connector comprising a pair of superposed arms, a bight of the connector material connecting said arms together at one end, a first wire-gripping means provided on one of the arms and a second wire-gripping means formed as a latch means provided on the other of the arms, the arms being resiliently urged towards an open position and being relatively movable towards one another from their open position to a closed position in which the latch means resiliently engages the wire in snap-fit and in which the latch means cooperates with the first wire-gripping means to grip the wire as a result of the tendency of the arms to assume their open position, the bight having an opening through which the wire can be inserted in the open position of the arms, the latch means and the first wire-gripping means being generally aligned with the opening in the closed position of the arms, for engagement with the wire received in the opening and a projection on one of said arms which is disposed between the wire-gripping means and the bight and extending towards the other of said arms to urge the wire against the other arm in the closed position of the arms.
 2. A connector according to claim 1, in which the projection has claw means extending in the general direction of the wire-gripping means for biting into insulation on the wire in the closed position of the arms.
 3. A connector according to claim 1, in which the projection is formed by a generally trapezoidal-shaped strap stamped out from one of the arms.
 4. A connector according to claim 1, in which said latch means comprises a wire-engaging hook, and wherein said first wire-gripping means comprises a pair of straps each defining a wire-receiving aperture, the wire-receiving apertures being in axial alignment with one another and with the opening in the bight, each strap of said pair of straps being spaced from one another longitudinally of the other arm for receiving the wire-engaging hook between them. 